NTSB CAROL · Event
Event MIA89FA177
Registry · N2UM
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CESSNA 310B
Year of manufacture
1958 · 31 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 hp)
Seats / Engines
5 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
19580201
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A18F1F
Registrant of record
HEPFER JOHN EDWARD
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
PILOTS INADVERTENT TURNING OFF OF THE ENGINE IGNITION SWITCHES RESULTING IN ENGINE FAILURE.
Factual narrative
WITNESSES STATED THE ENG FAILED ABRUPTLY AS THE ACFT MADE A RIGHT TURN AFTER TAKEOFF. THE ENG WAS PLACED ON A TEST STAND AFTER THE ACCIDENT AND OPERATED TO FULL POWER WITH NO EVIDENCE OF FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. UNCONTAMINATED FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE AIRFRAME AND ENG FUEL SYSTEM AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE ENG IGNITION SWITCHES WERE DESTROYED IN THE ACCIDENT AND THE POSITION OF THESE SWITCHES COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT OBSERVED THE ENG OPERATE ON THE TEST STAND AND WHEN THE IGNITION SWITCHES WERE TURNED OFF THE ENG FAILED ABRUPTLY. THEY IDENTIFIED THIS FAILURE MODE AS SIMILAR TO THE INFLIGHT FAILURE OF THE ENG. THE OTHER OWNER OF THE ACFT STATED HE HAD INADVERTENTLY TURNED OFF THE IGNITION SWITCHES A FEW YEARS BEFORE WHEN HE BUMPED THEM WHILE CLOSING THE AIR VENT. HE STATED THE POINT IN THIS FLIGHT THAT THE ENG FAILED WOULD HAVE BEEN THE POINT THE PLT WOULD HAVE CLOSED THE AIR VENT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_MIA89FA177.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (engine failure). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Multi-level Adaptation for Automatic Landing with Engine Failure under Turbulent Weather
This paper addresses efficient feasibility evaluation of possible emergency landing sites, online navigation, and path following for automatic landing under engine-out failure subject to turbulent wea…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Simulation of Liquid Rocket Engine Failure Propagation Using Self-Evolving Scenarios
Traditional probabilistic risk assessment approaches often require failure scenarios to be explicitly defined through event sequences that are then quantified as part of the integrated analysis.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Rocket engine failure detection using system identification techiques
The theoretical foundation and application of two univariate failure detection algorithms to Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) test firing data is presented.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Rocket engine failure detection using system identification techniques
The theoretical foundation and application of two univariate failure detection algorithms to Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) test firing data is presented.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
A simulator investigation of engine failure compensation for powered-lift STOL aircraft
A piloted simulator investigation of various engine failure compensation concepts for powered-lift STOL aircraft was carried out at the Ames Research Center.
- Semantic Scholar 2019 · Article (AIAA Scitech 2019 Forum)
Impact of Engine Failure Constraints on the Initial Sizing of Hybrid-Electric GA Aircraft
Potential advantages of hybrid-electric aircraft are fuel savings, lower emissions, and reduced noise. Since these aircraft generally apply multiple power sources, they can also be designed to sustain…
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗